


Meet Me in the Woods

by FangirlintheForest



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Familiars, Forests, Gen, Introspection, Magic, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Minor appearance by Demon!Kylo, Shapeshifting, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29238822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlintheForest/pseuds/FangirlintheForest
Summary: “What do you mean no one goes in there?”A chuckle. “It’s haunted. People see all sorts of weird things in there and some don’t ever come out. You’re better off living with your curiosity.”Rey wakes in a shadowy forest with no memory of where she came from, only her name. With the help of the resident guardian she takes a journey to figure out her past, and maybe even discover her future.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 11
Kudos: 38
Collections: To Find Your Kiss: The Reylo Fanfiction Anthology's Valentine's Day Exchange





	Meet Me in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thewayofthetrashcompactor (BriarLily)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriarLily/gifts).



> Ahhh I am so excited about the prompts I got from Briarlily! I was especially inspired by snowy woods, amnesia, angst that gets better, monsters (of course hehe), Rey finding herself haunted by Kylo, and happy endings. Happy Valentine's Day, and I hope you enjoy! :D

* * *

_Follow me into the endless night_ _  
_ _I can bring your fears to life_ _  
_ _Show me yours and I'll show you mine_ _  
_ _Meet me in the woods tonight_ _  
_ _~L.H._

* * *

Her eyes open.

Fluffy white snowflakes gently float down all around her. One lands on her eyelashes and she blinks rapidly at the cold. She sits up with a jerk, and her palms sink into a few cold inches of snow. Her dark blue cloak settles around her shoulders.

She’s in a clearing, and around her are numerous trees. It’s dark - very dark, and the snow that surrounds her continues all around and into the forest in all directions. Her breath forms a fog around her as she breathes out.

The strangest part is that she doesn’t remember why she’s here.

It’s odd, not being able to remember how she got here and why. She panics for a few moments and comes up with nothing. What’s her name? She trembles in horror when she can’t even remember that. The word is at the tip of her tongue but stays just out of reach. Then, like a flash, she remembers. 

Rey - her name is Rey.

It’s small, but it’s something. As she moves to stand and take further stock of the situation, her hand brushes over something that is decidedly not snow. She yanks her hand back, but when the pile of snow doesn’t move, she brushes the layer away. A plain brown bag becomes visible. At the sight of the worn leather she knows it’s hers - she just does. It feels familiar as she picks it up and when she swings it over her shoulder it feels right.

There are no visible landmarks anywhere in the trees. In fact, they all seem the same. She has no choice but to pick a direction and start walking. _No one will be coming anyway_ , she thinks before frowning. What a strange thought to have.

Her feet are sucked into the snow as she begins trudging through the woods and her fingers curl tighter around the bag strap as the cold seeps into her flesh. The grey sky shows no signs of letting up any time soon. She only hopes the sun will appear soon.

She stumbles and stumbles and stumbles for quite some time before happening upon a frozen lake. The shiny surface is filled with spiderwebs of ice. It’s calm and peaceful here, but somehow she knows she shouldn’t get too comfortable.

She decides to circle the lake. She doesn’t dare go on the ice for fear of falling in. The errant screech of a hawk in the distance scares her, and she curls into herself as the creature takes flight from a branch nearby.

Looking back to the lake, she sees something she missed the first time - a crack in the ice, and as she gets closer, a set of footprints leading out.

Rey blinks a few times, not quite sure if her eyes are playing tricks on her or not. 

_“What do you mean no one goes in there?”_

_A chuckle. “It’s haunted. People see all sorts of weird things in there and some don’t ever come out. You’re better off living with your curiosity.”_

Rey steps back as the memory leaves behind a dull ache in the front of her head. Who was that she was talking to? Why can’t she remember his face? She thinks he’s a friend but if he is, why can’t she remember? She grinds the heels of her hands into her eyes, wracking her brain and turning the ache into a full-on headache. If this is a bad dream, she hopes it’s over soon.

Then, something shrieks in her ear.

She whirls around to find the hawk flapping furiously inches away from her face, screaming into the night air, talons raised toward her face. She yelps, dashing away from the threat. The beating of wings follows her as she careens through the snow. Cold air whips past her face and she can’t catch her breath. When she turns her head to look back and see if the damned creature is still following, she runs right into something. Her breath rushes from her lungs and evaporates above her as she collapses backward in a heap into the snow.

With a ragged cough and slight sputter, she looks up at the offending object.

A imposing man stands in front of her. Swirling tattoos cover his arms and the parts of his chest not covered by the leather vest he wears. They swirl all the way up his neck but stop before they reach his face. His cheekbones are pronounced, and behind the shoulder length hair his dark eyes hold just as much mischief as his slight smile. He raises a gloved hand and, with a flutter, the bird settles calmly onto his arm.

As she leans backward, debating on whether to get up and start running again, he turns to her. “I see you’re finally awake. Running won’t help you here.”

“Where am I? And who are you?” she says angrily. “Why was your bird chasing me?”

He actually laughs. “So many questions! All in due time, my lady.”

“I’m not your lady,” Rey says grumpily, standing up and brushing snow off of herself as best she can. “And I’d say I’ve been kept in the dark long enough, don’t you?”

“Interesting choice of words.” He muses, seemingly unmoved by her protests. “How much do you remember?”

“My name.” her eyes go glassy as she tries again to remember anything else. Her eyes get watery as again nothing comes up and a feeling of helplessness surges through her chest, but she refuses to cry in front of this man. She swallows, holding the emotion back.

Has she died?

If she’s dead, this must be hell. But she can’t be - part of her violently protests at the thought. She has to get back home, and quickly. What if they come back and she’s not there? Whoever ‘they’ are is still a mystery her brain won’t divulge, and she nearly groans in frustration, but she trusts the urgent feeling in her gut.

She looks up at him, nervously fiddling with her bag. “It doesn’t matter what I can or can’t remember. I have to get out of here!”

He smiles at her, but it’s without warmth. “You can certainly try. I look forward to watching your attempts. Good luck, little bird.”

With that, the dark blue hawk on his arm takes flight with a screech, and darkness swirls around the man’s form as, with a grin, he transforms into a raven and flies away.

Rey can do little more than stand there in stunned silence as the flapping of wings slowly fades away.

* * *

With every passing moment, Rey is more and more convinced she’s in a dream. However, the bitter cold against her skin, and the subtle but residual headache prove otherwise.

If not a dream, why is she here? More importantly, _where_ is here?

Her train of thought is immediately cut off by a searing pain behind her eyes. She doesn’t even have time to cry out before her vision goes white.

_Someone is yelling, and she hears something crash in the living room. Rey just numbly stares at the newly blank side of her room. The crumbly door swings open as Rose appears, reaching down to grab the solitary box by the door._

_“I’m so sorry, Rey.” her face crumbles as her eyes fall on the bed where Rey sits._

_“It’s okay. Paige is doing what she has to do.” Rey assures her with a small smile, but deep down she knows it lacks it’s usual warmth._

_A door slamming interrupts whatever Rose is about to say next. “Rose, we’re leaving!” Paige shouts from down the hallway._

_“I’m sorry,” And with that, the door shuts._

Rey stumbles, catching herself against a tree with her forearm. She doesn’t know what to think of this memory. She finds herself filled with trepidation. Is the journey to remembering one she wants to take?

When she looks up from her pondering, a pair of glowing eyes peer at her from out of the darkness. She reels back, putting her body behind the tree. However, whatever lurks in the darkness makes no move to come any closer. It doesn’t blink - just disappears leaving behind her beating heart and sharp breath.

With slow movements, Rey turns away from where the eyes were and walks away. The snow crunches as she treads a new path.

She’s not going crazy.

She’s not.

“Have you remembered?”

Rey jolts away from his voice, turning around and finding him less than a foot away from her back. “Don’t do that!” she seethes, forcing herself to relax though her racing startled heart has other ideas. “And why do you care?”

“Everyone who enters this forest is my business. Whether they make it out or not is another story entirely. I’ll ask you again, what have you remembered?”

He looks her dead in the eye, intently studying her as if he can glean all her secrets with that one look. Rey instinctively looks away, uncomfortable with being scrutinized at that level.

She decides not to tell him. “It’s nothing.”

“I’m trying to help you,” he says gently, but underneath there’s a hint of annoyance.

“How?” she asks flatly. When he doesn’t reply she just looks down at her feet. “That’s what I thought.”

He stays silent for a moment longer. “The more you fight it the harder this will be. Everyone’s past catches up to them. It’s up to you how painful this process will be.”

“I don’t understand,” her voice breaks as frustration washes over her at his cryptic nature. Can’t he just be straight with her?

“You will.” And he fades into the shadows.

Rey does her best not to panic, so she stands there with wide eyes as her mind goes blank.

Instead of running off like she should be doing, she sits down in the cold snow. She’s tired, so so tired. Her eyes begin to close, the exhaustion hitting her fully now.

But when she dreams, it’s different. The color is gone, desaturated out of this dreamscape. She sees a junkyard, piles of cars stacked one on top of the other. Something like repulsion settles low in her stomach but at the same time, the scene before her is a familiar one.

An old building sits in front of her, surrounded by the waves of junk. Next to the dirt driveway is a rusted sign that reads ‘Plutt Scrapyard’. Then, the memories flood in. She remembers her childhood. The lonely hours spent scouring the endless piles of junk for food so Plutt would give her dinner, the happiness of the day Rose and Paige showed up. She recalls again the memory of when they left and the crushing darkness of a room now hers alone. She remembers someone else though along with the rest.

She wakes up with the name on her lips. “Finn.”

* * *

No matter how much she strains she can’t remember past the day Paige and Rose left. She sits and plays with the snow around her, building little snowmen with small sticks for arms and pebbles for eyes. Around her the forest moves in the odd way she’s come to know - silent in one moment and then a loud rustle from far away will break the quiet. Once she even hears what sounds like a groaning sweep past on the wind.

She knows this Finn is important - part of her more recent past. Unfortunately her mind refuses to unlock those memories for her and she smushes one of the small snowmen in frustration.

The caw of a bird wrenches her eyes from the little snow army she’s acquired and she watches as the bird from before lands on the ground by her outstretched feet. She recognizes it as _his_ bird.

In a weird way she finds she misses his presence. He would have answers for her. It’s not like her snowmen can give her any answers. She rolls her eyes at herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, a blotch of red appears. Rey scrambles backward, slamming into the tree trunk before taking a good look. When she does, the familiar black tattoo swirls on a familiar arm greet her and she sighs in relief, sagging against the cold hard bark. “I said don’t do that!”

He sits next to her and hands her a vibrant red apple. She takes it, noting his hands are very much warm and alive as she does so. "My apologies. My name is Kylo, by the way."

“Well, Kylo," she says, tossing the apple up and back into her hand and willing her heart to stop beating so fast. "I think I’m ready." She sees him look up at her curiously from the corner of her eye.

“Ready for what?”

“For the truth. About what this place really is, I mean.” She says with a tired sigh, examining the apple before taking a tentative bite. She curls her legs closer to herself and keeps eating as he considers her words.

“It’s an in-between.”

She stops chewing.

“If you didn’t need this place you wouldn’t still be here.”

“Why do I need this place?” 

He smirks at her. “Isn’t that the question. Why do you think I keep asking what you remember? It's the key to everything.”

Rey’s stomach sinks. “What if I don't remember?”

Something flashes across his face too quickly for her to read. “I hope you don't find out.”

Suddenly she’s not as hungry. But wouldn’t it be rude not to finish? She takes a reluctant bite out of the apple. It’s an awkward silence. She’s not quite sure why he’s staying and not flying away or something mysterious like that. Rey is quite content to let the silence stew, but a little nagging voice in her head won’t let her be. What if he can help her? She should tell him what is going on. He seems like he wants to help. What’s the harm?

The darker side of her brain says that she knows _exactly_ what the harm will be. She ignores it anyway.

“I do remember some things.” She says slowly before taking another bite. He turns toward her, his attention on her once more. “I remember my foster home. It was in a junkyard. I remember two of the other foster kids, siblings named Rose and Paige. I remember the day Paige came and took Rose with her. Plutt wasn’t happy.” she murmurs, almost like an afterthought. Just the core of the apple is left. Rey shivers as she puts it down in the snow.

Kylo notices and with a wave of his hand, flames appear in his palm. Through the fire, Rey swears his eyes are glowing yellow, his fingers becoming more curved and clawed, and in his dark curls horns appear. However, she’s not scared like she should be. She's seen him transform into other things. This isn't so different. Besides, she reasons, the fire is warm and inviting and she unconsciously leans closer.

“I also remember someone else. He told me about these woods and to stay away. His name is Finn.” As she says this another thing becomes clear, the new information drifting to the forefront of her mind. “And I remember waiting.”

“For what?” As he speaks, Rey notices a slight point to his teeth.

“I-”

Her ears start ringing as another memory rushes at her.

_“Do you remember when we met?”_

_Rey snorts. “Of course. High school was horrible.”_

_“Hey!” Finn fakes being shocked and she bats at him playfully from across the diner table._

_“You made it less horrible,” she amends. “And Rose, and Paige, and Poe,” she starts rattling off as Finn rolls his eyes._

_“Way to make me seem less important.” She snorts at his mock pouting._

_“You want to hear me say it?” she asks. “You’re important to me Finn. You’re family.” They both smile as the waitress arrives with their breakfasts._

_“And there she is,” Finn says, looking behind Rey as Rose suddenly appears as their waitress walks off._

_Rey’s smile dies just a little bit. “It’s so good to see you! I didn’t realize you were coming.”_

_“Hi, Rey,” Rose shoots her a glowing smile as she and Finn both scooch down the booth seat._

_“I invited her,” explains Finn. “I hope you’re okay with her invading our tradition. Here,” he slides his plate in between himself and Rose. “I ordered enough for both of us.”_

_“It’s- it’s totally fine!” Rey says, plastering a smile on her face. On the inside, she’s so confused. This has been their thing since forever. A best friends brunch for them to escape their lives and just exist. She loves Rose so much, but why did he invite her to their thing?_

_“I invited her because I thought we could tell you together,” he says, shooting a beaming smile at Rose who smiles one of her gentle smiles back. Except there’s more brightness there. From both of them._

_He looks back at her and drops a bomb. “Rose and I are dating.”_

_Rey’s stomach sinks into the floor. She knows what’s going to happen. She’s seen it a million times before. Caught up in their new relationship, she’s going to be left behind -- an afterthought. Even their brunches will disappear into the past before she knows it. This is her worst nightmare - her family is leaving her behind again._

_“I’m so happy for you two!” she hopes they both don’t notice her blinking away the wetness from her eyes._

_They don’t, thankfully._

_“Thank you, Rey,” Rose says, grabbing one of her hands. “I would just die without your approval.”_

_“Same here,” Finn says, chiming in._

_“I love you both.” Rey says back, digging quickly into her food as the two of them begin making small talk._

_She cries later in the women's bathroom._

She snaps out of it suddenly, the cold hitting her once again. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and she furiously wipes them away.

“It’s important that you remember the hard things,” Kylo says gently from beside her. The horns and the fire are gone and his eyes are back to a rich brown, now staring at her with pity and tenderness. “It’s the only way.”

“There has to be another!” she explodes, jumping to her feet. “Why do you care so much? You don’t know anything about how I’m feeling!”

His expression changes to one of hurt as he too stands. “I understand more than you know, Rey.” He makes a move as if to reach out to her but changes his mind. Within a second, he’s transformed back into the form of a crow and is flying off into the trees, while Rey is left alone with the hurt and the anger and confusion all roiling within her like a storm. 

She screams.

* * *

She blames him. She blames _him_ for bringing this all up, and blames _him_ for supplying her with the information that she needs to remember in order to get out of this hell. What if she doesn’t want to remember? What if it’s too painful? What then?

She groans. She doesn’t want to think about him anymore. Maybe there is a way for her to distract herself.

She stomps off into the woods. Not exactly her best idea, but it does allow her to let off some steam. That is, until she hears a strange noise that seems to be all around her. Rey whirls around, but none of the trees behind her seem familiar. Even her footprints have disappeared. When she turns back around, the trees in front of her are different too.

She wishes for Kylo. He’s been a steady constant during this whole experience, she rationalizes to herself. She can depend on him, can’t she? It's not an irrational thought.

But why doesn’t she want to admit she wishes he was here? Is it because she can remember Plutt and the horrible childhood she had? Or maybe it’s the sting of Rose leaving, and the blindsiding of Finn and Rose and the realization they would be leaving her behind.

Maybe she’s just tired of begging people to love her.

A lone tear drips down her cheek.

From the shadows of the tree next to her, like an answer to her thoughts, Kylo appears. She doesn’t move as he approaches but sniffles when he gently brushes the tear away from her cheek. He starts to pull his hand back but she quickly reaches up, grabbing his hand with her own to keep it there. “Don’t go,” she whispers. She doesn't say anything else. She can't. All she can do is hope he understands.

And then, like a whisper, his fingers gently trace her cheek and she leans into his comforting touch. “I’m so proud of you, little bird.” Her eyes start to water again. His other hand reaches up to the tree branches above them. A single rose blooms on the branch and he plucks it, placing it in her hands. “When you’re ready, come to the meadow and I’ll set you free.” She closes her eyes as the cold wind picks up around them and when she opens them, he’s gone.

* * *

She clutches the rose like a lifeline. She has to find this meadow and it seems the woods want her to as well. As she keeps walking, the trees start to look different, no longer all looking the same. The snow appears pristine and untouched, but somehow not as deep.

Then, she sees the flowers.

They bloom every so often, peeking up from the frozen ground. Soon, she finds herself following them and is rewarded as they start popping up more often.

Then the trees grow dense. Bushes start forming and then she’s met with a wall of pine branches. She has to go through them to move forward, but instead of pushing the branches aside, she stops. She’s too early. Rey frowns at the thought. Where did it come from? Then the familiar pain of remembrance comes. Flashes and flashes and flashes of it keep coming.

She remembers **everything**.

_She remembers in full that day after graduation when she and Finn took a walk down the road to the woods._

_“What do you mean no one goes in there?”_

_A chuckle. “It’s haunted. People see all sorts of weird things in there and some don’t ever come out. You’re better off living with your curiosity.”_

_She frowns. “What, have people gone missing in there?”_

_“Oh yeah,” he confirms with a nod. “There was a kid who would be a bit older than us, around Poe’s age I think, that went missing years ago. I don’t think his parents ever stopped looking.”_

_Rey doesn’t know what to say to that. “Speaking of Poe, he knows he’s supposed to be meeting us at the movie theater, right?”_

_“Yeah, I’ll text him to make sure.” Finn pulls out his phone, and starts typing._

_Rey stares at her feet. Sometimes she wishes she could run away. Getting lost in the forest and never going back to Plutt also has an appeal. The knot in her stomach from their conversation doesn’t go away until after they pass the woods._

_She remembers that time after Finn and Rose got together when her and Poe went out for shakes._

_“So what brought this on?” he asks as he opens the lid of his styrofoam cup and dips a spoon in._

_“Just needed some friendly company,” she says, slurping her own shake. “Rose is taking Finn on a date.”_

_Poe grins. “Lucky man. Anyone would be lucky to have what they have. Makes it inconvenient when you want to hang out though.” he chuckles, winking at her. She can’t help but smile back. He gets it. They’ve become better friends since those two got together. Before, they only knew each other because of Finn and Rose, but now that those two are understandably wrapped up in each other, Poe and Rey have been hanging out more. When they first met, they butted heads. Now, they’ve moved past that and understand one another._

_“Though,” he continues. “Flight school will make it difficult for me too.” he finishes nonchalantly._

_Rey gasps, a huge smile forming on her face. “You got in?!”_

_He laughs at her enthusiasm. “Just got a reply back this morning. I’m in!”_

_Rey squeals, throwing her arms around her friend. “I’m so happy for you!”_

_He hugs her back before they both pull away and go back to their shakes. “Thanks, Rey. I promise I won’t forget you guys while I’m away.”_

_“You better not,” Rey threatens, waving her own spoon at him. “But you better study hard for us.”_

_Poe makes a noise. “Of course. Rose would kick my ass if I didn’t.”_

_“I’d help.” Rey grumbles while Poe snorts._

_“Don’t forget about Finn and Rose,” Poe says. “They’re always gonna have your back. Promise me you’ll remember that?”_

_“I know,” Rey says but ends up shifting uncomfortably._

_“Rey, Finn is still your best friend, and you say Rose is like your sister. We’re all adjusting, but they still love you even if they’re not around as much.”_

_Rey’s eyes water up as she stares into her cup. “Thanks, Poe.” His reminder means more than he could ever know._

_“Anytime, kid.”_

_And then she remembers her parents leaving. It’s just flashes, though - she was so little when they left her. A hug, a kiss, the smell of old perfume. And the growing realization at such a young age that they wouldn’t be coming back. And then, the first view of Plutt’s, and the rest of her life. And the waiting. The forever waiting - and the endless days that blurred into each other filled with the sting of abandonment that never really healed._

_The last memory is different. She sees herself packing a bag, running from Plutt’s, and, with a last glance behind her, disappearing into the dark woods. She follows herself as she weaves through the trees. The woods become much more dense and the way gets harder to see. She watches herself stumble around, unaware that the snow is getting deeper and not paying attention to the landscape. After some time, the cold tinges her cheeks and her eyes start to flutter. She watches as her other self starts stumbling, losing her way and her bag before collapsing unconscious some time later on her back in a familiar clearing. The typical noises of the forest immediately stop. The air is utterly silent. And then, he appears._

_He walks forward, but the snow is not disturbed under his feet. He walks around her body, frowning as he takes in her pale face. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulls a piece of fabric from the air, wrapping it around her. Color faintly returns to her cheeks, and after making sure the cloak is tightly tucked around her, he leaves._

Rey collapses onto her knees again and sobs. She sees it now. She feels the love that she had missed before. She feels joy for the futures her friends had made for themselves and wonders at her own. She had been so wrapped up in everything that she forgot that she had her own path to make.

Something scuffles in the distance, but she doesn’t start. This place doesn’t scare her anymore. She sees it for what it is - a conduit of her own feelings that lead her to this revelation of truth. A gift.

She’s ready.

She brushes a finger over the fine petals of the rose, gets to her feet, and pushes the branches aside.

* * *

Roses blanket the ground in a sea of velvety red. Leaves bloom from their stems and the trees inside the clearing look bright and green though blanketed with a thin layer of snow. Even though it’s dark, somehow this place seems brighter.

In the middle of the roses stands Kylo, his tattoos on full display as he turns toward her as she walks forward. She finds she doesn’t care if he sees the fresh tear tracks on her face, or the redness in her eyes. It doesn’t matter. He hasn’t judged her up before and he won’t now.

“It’s beautiful,” she says, carefully avoiding stepping on the flowers.

“You’re not afraid anymore?” he asks.

“No.” she replies as she steps next to him. “It took some getting used to, but I’m kind of fond of this place now, actually.”

She’s rewarded with a small smile, enough to see the small dimples in his cheeks. “I feel the same way.”

“I was afraid. Of loving people. And letting myself be loved.” she blurts out. “That’s what I had to remember and then everything fell into place.”

He nods, eyes scanning her as she speaks. “You have friends that care for you.”

“I see that now. I forgot there for a while, but now I know.” She twirls the stem of the rose- his rose between her fingers.

“Good,” he says. “Hold on to that as you walk away, and you’ll find your way out.”

She frowns. “That’s it? Seriously?”

He shrugs. “You’ve faced your fears. You accepted them and learned what they had to teach you. This forest no longer has claim over you and you are free to go. There is only one rule: when you leave this clearing, you cannot look back until you have left the forest behind completely otherwise you will be trapped here forever.

Her frown deepens. “Will I be able to come back after I leave?”

He shakes his head. “If you return it will be ordinary. This place will be long gone and you will be unable to find me.”

Rey’s heart just about stops. The thought of losing this place, of losing him is shattering.

“There is no path for you to follow, but if you keep walking you will find your way back. This will be over soon.” He reaches out and turns her to face away from him. “Remember, keep walking and don’t look back until you have left the forest.”

She tentatively walks forward away from his soft touch until she reaches the tree branches again, but when she reaches out to push them aside, she finds she can’t. She lowers her hand a little. Maybe it's her turn not to walk away this time.

“But what if I don’t want to leave?”

Utter silence stretches out between them, and she turns her head just a little.

“Rey,” he says immediately - warning, pleading. “Don’t look back. Don’t end up like me.”

He cares. She knows this, from the time he wrapped the cloak around her freezing body, to all the times he tried to prompt her to remember. He cared enough to try and get her out of here because he knew what it would mean if she didn’t - even though she knows he's just as lonely as she is. He's felt it - the pain of loss, and the introspection that is a deep-rooted part of this place. There's so much more to the world than she thought there was before coming here. And there's something here, with him, that she's just not ready to give up yet.

“It’s like I told you,” she says, making the decision. She turns around, dropping her bag. “I’m not afraid anymore.”

She strides right back up to him, holding the cloak up and smiling as she traces a thumb over the soft fabric. "I remember now," she says softly, looking up. "And I don't think I'm ready to go just yet." As she says this, her cloak begins to shift colors from blue to a deep warm red and above them the night sky gets lighter, more golden like daylight. "Maybe we were always meant to be not lonely together." she murmurs softly.

A tear streaks down his cheek as his expression breaks, now full of hope and disbelief. “I have waited so long for you,” he says, once again placing his hand on her cheek as tears run down his. She sighs happily into his palm as the comforting effect of his skin on hers soothes her. Her chest lacks any knots. In fact, this is one of the first peaceful moments she can remember in a long time. She traces a hand across his, mapping the swirling tattoos with her fingers and moving up his arm, across his shoulders and up his neck. He whimpers as she caresses the hollows of his cheeks and when she pulls him down into a light kiss full of curiosity and hope he wraps his arms around her too.

When she pulls away and smiles at him, he grabs her hand and together they walk into the woods as the sun rises.

**Author's Note:**

> Tattooed Kylo is my religion (and is totally not based off [this](https://twitter.com/haban35/status/1110677268077019136?s=20) fanart of V from The Devil May Cry 5 lmao)


End file.
